Staying Home Sucks, home
Couple on the Seacliff State Beach Pier
Seacliff Beach. Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Seacliff Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

65Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Sat 7: 9 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 36 out of 100

Swell
6 ft14 ssoft
Energy
1,009kJ
Wind
S 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 66 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
859kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 24 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
313kJ
Wind
SSW 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 75 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
1,268kJ
Wind
S 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 79 out of 100

Swell
9 ft12 ssoft
Energy
1,846kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 50 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
597kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 69 out of 100

Swell
7 ft11 ssoft
Energy
959kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 233, too small
  2. Tue 336, too small
  3. Wed 466, good
  4. Thu 524, too small
  5. Fri 675, good
  6. Sat 779, good
  7. Sun 850, fair
  8. Mon 969, good
  9. Tue 1037, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–18 ftof swell
  • Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Seacliff Beach, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov33, too small5 ft15 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,154kJwind from the west, 7 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov36, too small6 ft14 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,009kJwind from the south, 5 knots17°C
Wed 4Nov66, good8 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)859kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov24, too small5 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)313kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov75, good7 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,268kJwind from the south, 3 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov79, good9 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,846kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Sun 8Nov50, fair6 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)597kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Mon 9Nov69, good7 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)959kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 10Nov37, poor7 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)999kJwind from the south, 5 knots17°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 05:24 +0.5 mLow 10:42 −0.1 mHigh 16:15 +0.6 mLow 23:15 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 06:07 +0.6 mLow 11:59 −0.3 mHigh 17:39 +0.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:08 −0.8 mHigh 06:45 +0.7 mLow 13:00 −0.5 mHigh 18:53 +0.5 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Seacliff Beach

Palo Alto Cement Ship and the Seacliff Beach Pier
Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Seacliff, Aptos, CA 72 - panoramio
Photo: Vince Migliore, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
My breakfast at a convenience store near New Brighton Beach State Park, Santa Cruz
Near Seacliff Beach. Photo: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Seacliff Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (203°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (23°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 93). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 12°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Seacliff, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,150–US$2,080 each

about US$1,150–US$2,080 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to SJC, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$255–US$536
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$100–US$161
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,150–US$2,080

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Seacliff

about 5 min by car · 9 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 9 places to stay in Seacliff · Booking.com

About Seacliff its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 7h 20m

About 7h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → SJC, direct, then 1h 05m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.